Carla C. Kirkland - Praxis Elementary Education for Dummies with Online Practice Tests

Praxis Elementary Education For Dummies with Online Practice

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Copyright 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016935257

ISBN 978-1-119-18786-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-18788-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-18787-5 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

You probably already know that if you hope to become a teacher, youll have to take and pass an entry exam. The ones youll most likely take are the Praxis exams. Many colleges and universities require that students who want to complete an undergraduate degree in education take a Praxis Core exam that tests their knowledge of reading, writing, and math. After that, many aspiring teachers have to take another Praxis exam to obtain licensure. Wait, what? More than one test? Yes, were afraid so. It might be a repeat of the Core exam or it might be a subject testor depending on your goals, more than one subject test.

The Praxis Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (5017) is indeed a subject test. As the name suggests, this particular test covers a pretty broad span of what you need to know regarding elementary education. Also reviewed in this book is the Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge (5018) exam. It restricts its coverage to the content of the main four subject areas that an elementary teacher should have mastered: Reading and Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science.

The goal of this book is to refresh your existing knowledge or develop new understanding on what you need to know in preparation for the Praxis exams. We dont cover every topic that is tested in detail; instead, we offer an overview of those topics. The overview allows you to review a topic and say to yourself either, Yep, got it! I can move onto the next topic or I dont get it. Id better focus on math a little more. While you may be required to successfully pass the Praxis Elementary Education test in order to get a teaching license in your state, dont panic! You have your hands on the right book to help you ace this exam.

Praxis Elementary Education For Dummies breaks down the exams main objectives into understandable sections. This book is organized into subsections so that you can quickly navigate through subject areas. For example, if youre struggling with math, you can find all those topics grouped together. If science makes you want to pull your hair out, you can get a comprehensive overview in . In addition, this book offers helpful tips and strategies that you can practice so you dont fall for the booby traps others seem to. They say practice makes perfect. This book provides two practice tests and an additional two practice tests can be found online. You may want to practice before you read any of the chapters to discover your strengths and areas that could use improvement. Once you have mastered the material, you can practice again to put your skills to the test.

In writing this book, weve made some assumptions about you. The biggest assumption weve made applies to all readers: You have decided to become a teacher, which is one of the most rewarding professions known to man. Then, we assume you fall into one of the following categories:

• You are a first time test-taker: You want to take and pass the test on your first try.
• You are a retester: Youve taken the test before but didnt get the score you needed or wanted. You can still successfully reach the passing score goal. Youre actually in a better situation than the first-time test-taker because you possess a detailed report that outlines your strengths and weaknesses. That way you can truly attack the sections that give you the most difficulty.
• You are a traditional teacher candidate: Youre currently working on or have recently completed an undergraduate or graduate education degree. You need to pass this test to get licensed.
• You are an alternative route teacher candidate: You already possess a four-year degree and you need to pass this test as one of your first steps toward certification.

If youre in one (or more!) of these categories, good for you. We have written this book to fit your specific needs.

Icons are the drawings in the margins of this book, and we use several icons to call out special kinds of information.